Valve assembly



May 12, 1936.

c. s. BAKER VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed July 20, 193:5

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Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE ASSEMBLY Charles S. Baker, Corning, N. Y. assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, Jersey City, N. ,J., a corporation of New Jersey 7 V r n w Application July 20, 1933, Serial No. 681,269

6Claims.

This invention relates to valves, and more paris preferably somewhat greater than that of the ticularly to valves adapted to control the admission of fluid to or the discharge of fluid from a compressor, depending upon whether the valve servesas an inlet or a discharge valve.

ribs III' in order to avoid contact between the valves and the ribs during the reciprocatory movement of thevalves.

/Any1u1 able means may be provided for guid-. 5

One object of the invention is to gilectively ing the valves l3, as for instance, guide plates l6 cushion the movemgnLoLtheVtTlfi, thereby preventing sharp and damaging impact of the valve against the elements serving as stops therefor. Another object is to confine the wear, incident to operation, to only the relatively inexpensive elements of the valve assembly.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

, In the drawing accompanying this specification and in whch similar reference numerals refer to similar parts,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation ,of a valve assembly constructed in accordance with the practice of. the invention showing the valve or valves in the port-sealing position,

Figure 2 is a transverse view taken through Figure 1 on the line 22 looking in direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is a transverse view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 illustrating the manner in which I, the alve spring defines an inlet opening for th cushioning chamber in the valve, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the valve in the raised or open position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the valve assembly, illustrated as a discharge valve, comprises a valve seat 6 and a stop plate 1 which is, seated upon the end of the valve seat and secured thereto as by screws 8 extending through the stop plate and being threaded into the valve seat. v

In the valve seat 6 are a plurality of ports 9 through which fluid may flow into or from the compressing apparatus to which the valve mechanism may be applied. The ports 9 are preferably arranged in parallelism, and in the same longitudinal planes as the ports are ribs III which may be integral portions of the stop plate I and define spaces ll through which fluid passes to and from the ports 9.

In the end of the stop plate 1, adjacent the valve seat 6, is a recess l2 wherein are arranged valves l3 to control the ports 9. The valves l3 are in the form of straight narrow plates having lateral flanges l4 extending along their longitudinal edges and lying on the same side of the valves, in this instance extending toward the stop plate I, to form cushioning chambers IS in the valves :3. The width of the cushioning chambers l5 arranged at the ends of the ports 9 and having notches or recesses I1 into which the ends of the valves l3 extend slidably.

In order to effect a prompt seating of the valve 10 plates l3 and to hold said valves in fluid tight relationship with the valve seat 6 springs l8 are disposed in the cushioning chambers IE to act against the valves l3 and the ribs ID. The springs employed for this purpose are of the curved leaf 15 type and are so arranged that the bowed intermediate portions |9 thereof seat against the ribs l0 and the ends or tips 20 of the springs seat against the valves I3.

As an additional function the springs l8 also 20 serve to control the flow of cushioning fluid into and from the cushioning chambers IS. The springs are accordingly of only slightly less width than the cushioning chambers so that during the lifting or opening movement of the valves the 25 cushioning fluid, as for instance compressed air, will be gradually expelled from the cushioning chambers through the clearance or spaces existing between the inner surfaces of the flanges l4 and the sides or edges 2| of the springs i8 30" In order to. permit the free flow of cushioning fluid into the cushioning chambers IS the flanges M are of such height that when the valves occupy their closed positions, that is, when they are seated upon the valve seats 6 and during the 35 initial lifting or opening movement of the valves, the edges 22 of the free ends of the flanges M will be below the inner surface 23 of the springs l8. Owing to this arrangement inlet openings 24 will be defined by the edges 22 and the springs through 40 which the cushioning fluid, may enter the chambers l5.

During the operation of a compressor to which the valve assembly may be applied the compressed fluid flowing through the ports 9 lifts the valves 45 I3, thence passes through the recess l2 and the spaces l I to storage or to the apparatus which it motivates. After the valves are partly opened the flanges l4 move into the plane of the sides or edges 2| of the springs I8 and thus cut oil further 50 communication between the source of cushioning medium and the chambers l5. During the remainder of the opening movement of the valves the cushioning medium is gradually expelled from the cushioning chambers through the restricted 55 spaces between the edges 2! of the springs and the inner surfaces of the flanges l4, thus preventing the valves from rising abruptly and striking violently against the stop plate I. At the end of the discharge stroke of the compressing apparatus the springs l8 will actuate the valves l3 towards the seat 6 and seal the ports 9.

By providing a suitable degree of' clearance between the flanges l4 and the springs [8 the re--. turn movement of the valves may be retarded somewhat. In other words, a negative pressure may be caused to exist in the cushioning chambers l5 and the initial seating movement of the valves l3 will thus take place comparatively slowly. However, when the valves reach a position to again admit cushioning fluid into the cushioning chambers l5 the valves will move quickly against the valve seat-. VVVV V In practice, the present lnVentiOn has been found to be a highly eflicient device. This is due largely to the fact that the construction shown imposes no limitation on the degree of lift of the valves. Being adequately protected against destructive impact upon the elements which limit their movement the valve plates are also capable of a very high speed of reciprocation as compared with the present known valves.

A further highly desirable feature of the present invention is that owing to the manner in which the valve plates are guided any wear resulting from their movement is confined entirely to the valve plates, the springs I8 and the guide plates I6, rather than to the comparatively expensive parts such as the valve seat and the stop plate.

Although I have shown only a preferred form of the invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction illustrated as, obviously, the invention is susceptible of a considerable degree of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention or the-scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat having a port, a valve to control the port and having a cushioning chamber, a stop member for the valve, and a spring in the form of abowed plate in the chamber to press the valve against the valve seat and having a portion extending a1- ternately out of and into the cushioning chamber ing chamber respectively'as the valve is in the closed and open positions, said portion cooperating with certain of the surfaces defining the cushioning chamber to control the flow of cushioning fluid into and from the cushioning chamber. 5

3. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat having a port, a valve tocontrol the port and having a cushioning chamber, a stop member for the valve, means for guiding the valve, and a spring in the form of a bowed plate in the cham- 1o ber acting against the stop member and the valve to press the valve against the valve seat and having a bowed portion extending alternately out of and into the cushioning chamber respectively as the valve is in the closed and open positions, said 15 bowed portion cooperating with certain of the surfaces defining the cushioning chamber to control the flow of cushioning fluid into and from the cushioning chamber.

4. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat if! having a port, a valve to control the port and having a cushioning chamber, a stop member, and a spring in the form of a bowed plate in the chamber for pressing the valve to the valve seat and having a portion extending out of the cushioning :3 chamber to define an inlet'opening for the free passage of cushioning fluid into the cushioning chamber when. the valve is in the closed position, said spring cooperating with lhe s ige sgfthe cushioning chamber to restrict the flow of cushioning .34) fluid from the cushioning chamber during the opening movement of the valve.

'5. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat having a port, a valve to control the port and hav-. ing a cushioning chamber, a stop member for the 35 valve, and a bowed plate spring in the cushioning chamber acting against the stop member and the valve to press the valve against the valve seat and to cooperate with the edges of the cushioning chamber in the closed position of the valve to 40 define an inlet opening for the passage of cushioning fluid into the cushioning chamber, the edges of said spring cooperating with the walls of the cushioning chamber to restrict the flow of cushioning fluid from the cushioning cham- 4:, ber during the opening movement of the valve.

6. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat having a port, a stop member, a valve to control thw ndhaflnwcushicningchamber, and

respectively as the valveisnntheclosdWa spring to press the valve against the valve seat .30

positions, said portion cooperating with certain of the surfaces defining the cushioning chamber to control the flow of cushioning fluid into and from the cushioning chamber.

2. A valve assembly comprising a valve seat having a port, a valve to control the port and havand having a bowed portion to seat against the stop member and portions on opposite sides of the bowed portion to seat against the valve, said spring cooperating with the edges of the walls of the cushioning chamber to define an inlet 53 opening for the admission of cushioning fluid into the chamber and cooperating with the inner surfaces of the cushioning chamber to effect a restricted flow of cushioning fluid from the cushioning chamber. (:0

CHARLES S. BAKER. 

